NBA Game Notes (April 4, 2025)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 4, 2025.

Apr 05, 2025

Three Stars

The three stars in ice hockey are the three best players in a game, with the “first star” considered the best of the three players, similar to the player of the match in other sports. Here are my “three stars” from yesterday’s NBA games.

First ⭐️

Jalen Duren scored 21 points and hauled in a game-high 18 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons clinched their first playoff berth since the 2018-19 season with a 117-105 win over the Toronto Raptors. Duren was incredibly efficient from the field, hitting nine of his 11 attempts. He also recorded six assists, a game-high four blocks, and one steal in 36 turnover-free minutes.

Second ⭐️

Stephen Curry scored a game-high 36 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 118-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets, Golden State’s fifth straight win. Curry went 13-24 from the field, sinking seven of his 15 attempts from 3-point range. He also dished out five assists and swiped a game-high two steals (tied with five others) in 32 minutes of action.

Third ⭐️

Austin Reaves scored 30 points and handed out seven assists in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Reaves shot 8-13 from the floor (6-9 on 3-pointers) and 8-9 from the free throw line. He posted a game-best rating of plus-17 points in 36 minutes played, committing just one turnover and one personal foul.

Milestones

The Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (33 points, 12 rebounds) recorded the 500th double-double of his career. He’s the fifth active player to reach that mark, joining LeBron James (605), Nikola Vucevic (556), Chris Paul (539), and Russell Westbrook (523).
DeMar DeRozan (6-13 field goals) increased his career total to 9,022 field goals made in the Sacramento Kings’ 125-102 rout of the Charlotte Hornets, breaking a tie with Jerry West for 24th place on the NBA’s all-time list.
The Chicago Bulls’ Coby White (2-6 on threes) tied the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a season in a 118-113 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. White’s 209 makes from beyond the arc matches the mark he established last season.
Nikola Vucevic (31 points, 12 rebounds) produced his 200th double-double as a member of the Chicago Bulls, tying Scottie Pippen for second place on the franchise’s all-time list. The Bulls’ career record of 288 double-doubles is held by Artis Gilmore.
Reaves has made 15 threes over his last two games, the most over a two-game span in Los Angeles Lakers history. The previous record of 14 was shared by Kobe Bryant (Jan. 6 & 7, 2006) and Dalton Knecht (Nov. 16 & 19, 2024).
The Boston Celtics (14-39 on threes) broke the NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a season in their 123-103 win over the Phoenix Suns. The Celtics have hit 1,370 triples this season, surpassing the mark of 1,363 held by the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors.
The Cleveland Cavaliers set a franchise record for most points scored in a season, edging the San Antonio Spurs 114-113. Cleveland’s 9,413 points eclipses the 9,360 they scored in the 1979-80 season.

Streaking

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (22 points) extended his streak of 20-point games to 70 in a 125-111 loss to the Houston Rockets. He’s just the third player in NBA history to record at least 70 such games in a row in a single season, joining Wilt Chamberlain (twice) and Oscar Robertson.
Curry has scored at least 35 points in each of his last three games. He’s only the second player in NBA history to record at least three such games in a row after turning 37 years old, joining LeBron James.
The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (23 points) has scored at least 15 points in 109 consecutive regular season games, the longest such streak in franchise history (by 12 games) and the 17th-longest such streak in NBA history.
Jokic has recorded 108 straight 10-point games, 14 straight 20-point games, and eight straight 25-point games.
The LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (20 points) produced his 11th consecutive 20-point game in a 114-91 rout of the Dallas Mavericks. He’s averaging 25.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 2.0 SPG with 55.8/49.1/84.1 shooting splits over that stretch.
Team(s) with a winning streak of five or more games: Golden State Warriors (five).
Team(s) with a losing streak of five or more games: Utah Jazz (eight) and Phoenix Suns (five).
The Chicago Bulls have scored at least 110 points in 23 consecutive games, the longest such streak in franchise history (by 14 games) and the second-longest such streak in the NBA in the last 40 seasons (Utah Jazz, 25).
The Cavaliers (22-51 on threes) have made 10 or more 3-pointers in each of their last 82 regular season games. It’s the third-longest such streak in NBA history, trailing only a 97-game run by the Houston Rockets and an 87-game run by the Utah Jazz.
The San Antonio Spurs (16-48 on threes) have made 10 or more 3-pointers in 20 straight games, breaking a tie for the longest such streak in franchise history.

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The Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija and the Suns’ Devin Booker were the night’s leading scorers, netting 37 points apiece (a season high for Avdija). They were followed by Curry (36), the Lakers’ Luka Doncic (35), the Rockets’ Jalen Green (34), Jokic (33), the Thunder’s Jalen Williams (33), the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown (31), the Rockets’ Alperen Sengun (31), Vucevic (31), White (31), and Reaves (30).
The Bulls’ Josh Giddey was the top board man, collecting a career-high 19 rebounds last night. The Trail Blazers’ Donovan Clingan and Duren tied for second place with 18 boards each, while the Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. ranked fourth with a season-high 17.
Giddey and the Pelicans’ Elfrid Payton were the leading playmakers last night, each dishing out 12 assists. Also delivering double-digit dimes where the Spurs’ Stephon Castle and the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton with 11 apiece.
Giddey scored 15 points to go with his 19 rebounds and 12 assists, giving him 17 career triple-doubles. Since being held scoreless in 29 minutes on Jan. 19, Giddey has averaged 18.4 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 7.8 APG with 49.1/44.0/79.3 shooting splits over his last 29 games.
Curry has made at least a half-dozen 3-pointers in a game 239 times, 27 more such games than the next two closest players combined: James Harden (109) and Klay Thompson (103).